Take A Break
by RosalindHawkins
Summary: Stoicshipping drabbles: Not even Seth can stop Seto from being a workaholic, caffeine-addicted insomniac. Or can he? Maybe a vacation would do him some good. Contains: mild angst, smut, fluff, alcohol, language. Seto Kaiba x Priest Seth. Yaoi/lemon. PWP. Seven chapters for the seven deadly sins.
1. Sloth

"You need to sleep, Seto," the High Priest was murmuring as he guided the seemingly half-dead CEO by the shoulders to their bedroom. "If you push yourself to stay awake for much longer, you really _will_ start to hallucinate, and that would be very bad indeed."

"Just give me a cup of coffee, and I'll be fine," Seto grumbled, barely able to keep his eyes open as he shuffled forward down the hallway. If it weren't for Seth's guiding presence, he probably would have just fallen asleep standing up.

"No more caffeine for you," Seth chided, a touch of amusement in his voice. "I think it's time I made you quit cold turkey."

Seto grumbled incoherently, and Seth paused for a moment to open the door to their room before guiding Seto through it, then turning to close and lock the door behind them. He turned back to his lover in time to catch him as he began to sway.

"Come, Seto, just a few more moments, then you'll be safely embraced by sleep," the wise priest murmured, guiding a drowsy Seto to the edge of their bed before he gently stripped him down to his underclothes. He would mumble gibberish nonsense every now and then, but no real words came through.

"Four full days without sleep, Seto. I still can't believe you'd do that to yourself," Seth murmured mostly to himself as he coaxed Seto's yielding body into bed comfortably, tucking him in. "Honestly, what's the point when you're like this at the end of it?"

No sooner had he finished tucking Seto in had he begun to toss restlessly in bed, throwing the covers off as a wordless cry escaped his lips. Seth face softened with sadness, and he quickly shed his own linen robes before joining his lover in bed and putting his arms around him, cradling Seto's head against his chest.

"Sh, my love. You are _safe_ , nothing can harm you here," he murmured, concern filling his accented voice. Sleeping Seto only cried out again, somewhat quieter this time, and Seth began to quietly sing him a lullaby in Hieratic Egyptian. He ran his fingers through the brunette's soft locks, only ceasing the singing once Seto was long settled back into sleep, and only then did he let himself slip into sleep as well.

* * *

"You can't do that again, Seto," Seth scolded sternly the following afternoon, when Seto finally woke up. The young CEO had just gotten out of the shower, extremely irritated for having slept in so late. He was rummaging about in his closet as he hurriedly got dressed for work.

"Shut up," Seto snapped, his nerves still frayed after spending close to one hundred consecutive hours awake. "You should have woken me hours ago. Do you realize that I had an important meeting this morning?"

"You should take the day off and rest, Seto, or you'll work yourself to death," Seth said calmly, still trying to impress upon him the gravity of the situation.

"I'm _fine_ ," Seto growled from his closet, the door open so that Seth could hear him from where he sat on their bed. Now Seth stood, entering Seto's closet as the young man fumbled with his tie, cursing his clumsy fingers under his breath. Seth stepped up and began to carefully tie it for him, making Seto drop his hands with a sigh of exasperation. "I'm fine," he repeated, even though Seth hadn't said anything.

"Your hands are shaking," he pointed out quietly, his fingers handling the silk blue tie with care.

"I haven't eaten since yesterday's lunch," Seto growled bitterly. "No wonder."

"You know, Seto," Seth said quietly without looking up, still fiddling with his partner's tie. "Gozaburo is long gone. You have nothing left to prove to him." Seto stiffened, frozen by Seth's words. The High Priest, who hadn't actually been tying Seto's tie at all, set the tie aside and began to take off Seto's work shirt. A small whine came from the back of Seto's throat, and Seth embraced him as the businessman swayed forward, tears springing to his eyes spontaneously.

"I already called the office this morning, Seto. They know that you're not coming in today and your meetings have all been rescheduled." He kissed Seto's forehead as he started to cry.

"I'm acting like such a girl," Seto grumbled, rubbing at his wet eyes. Seto Kaiba did _not_ cry.

"No, you're acting like a human," Seth corrected tenderly. He finished removing Seto's work shirt and carried him back to bed, laying him down once more and rising to close the curtains, engulfing the room in shadows. "I'll have food brought up to us so that you can get something substantial in that empty stomach of yours before going back to sleep." He turned and saw that Seto lay on his stomach with his face buried in his pillow. Seth sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Seto's scarred back reassuringly. "Some parts of the past are worth letting go," he whispered, leaning down to kiss the top of Seto's head.

Seto whispered faintly through his tears, "But why does it have to hurt so much?"


	2. Wrath

Seth was distracted from the book he was reading by the sound of a loud crash, followed by voluminous and creative cursing. Loud thuds and smaller crashes followed in rapid succession, and he put down the book carefully before he stood and left the library to knock on the door of Seto's office—the room on the other side of the wall.

"Seto, is everything alright?" he called gently, but received no answer other than more crashing and cursing. After a few moments, the noise died down, and he tentatively opened the door. "Seto?" He saw his reincarnation kneeling in the middle of the mess he'd made: papers scattered, books abused and displaced, the lamp that once sat on his desk now shattered to bits on the floor. The High Priest stepped gingerly inside, tiptoeing around the debris so that he could come to crouch beside Seto and place a gentle hand on his tense back. "Are you okay?"

"I still see him," Seto whispered through gritted teeth, tears streaming down his cheeks as his fingers gripped the floor savagely. Small cuts and scratches marked his hands, his knuckles bloodied from where he'd punched the wall, leaving a prominent dent behind, along with smears of his blood. "I can still hear him… taunting me…" He was deeply shaken, as if he'd really seen a ghost, but his blood-shot eyes told a different story.

"Didn't I warn you just a couple weeks ago that you'd start to hallucinate if you went too long without sleep?" Seth quietly scolded with a sigh. He shifted a little so that he could pull Seto into his arms and carry his scrawny form out of the trashed room and to their bedroom.

"It felt so real," the teenager whispered, clinging to Seth anxiously, his partner beginning to feel the tremor in his limbs.

"You need to get some sleep, but you're clearly in no state to do so at the moment," Seth observed out loud, carrying Seto all the way to their bathroom and setting him down on the edge of the inset tub. "You need to relax before you'll sleep a wink." He ran the water in the bathtub and began to undress Seto, who resisted at first, but finally yielded when Seth dimmed the lights significantly. The Priest still found it adorable that the lights made him nervous, that he was so shy about himself naked when there wasn't a shy bone in his body otherwise. He undressed himself then carried his long-limbed companion into the hot bath with him. Seto's trembling soon ceased as the hot water relaxed them both, Seth merely holding Seto in his arms as the silence worked its own kind of magic on the two of them.

"What happened Seto?" the tanned one finally asked, half-afraid of the answer.

"He appeared while I was working," Seto sniffled, lifting a handful of water to wash away his dried tears. "He started… criticizing my work, how well I took care of Mokuba, my relationship with you…" Seto inhaled and exhaled, shuddering as he fought for control. "He said all of the right things to make me go nuts, and I just… lost it."

"Have you ever… 'lost it' like this before?" Seth asked hesitantly.

"No, at least, not on such a large scale," Seto admitted. "A couple of times I might have thrown a book across the room when nobody else was around, but I've never gone to such destructive lengths before." Seth lowered Seto's injured hand into the hot water to clean the wound, but the younger hissed in pain and pulled his hand back. Seth took his time guiding Seto's hand back into the water and was washing it with a soft washcloth before he spoke again.

"You're lucky Mokuba's at a friend's house tonight, or he would have been disturbed by something like this." He glanced up at Seto, a warning look in his eyes. "You need a vacation, Seto, and I don't just mean one day off. I mean you and I need to go away to some kind of resort for a full week so that you can catch up on sleep and completely relax before returning to all of this stress. You do see how it's poisoning you, don't you?"

Seto opened his mouth to protest, but shut it again; even he wasn't stubborn or foolish enough to argue with him, not after all of the stress- and exhaustion-related incidents he'd had in the past few weeks. Mokuba was worried about him enough as it was, and it would put his mind at ease to know that his brother was taking a proper vacation. Which meant that somebody had to watch Mokuba while they were gone…

"We'll call Yugi and ask him to watch your brother for the week," Seth said, reading Seto's mind. He pressed his forehead to Seto's, two pairs of sapphire eyes locking together. "If I wasn't here to take care of you, you'd be doing a terrible job of taking care of yourself," he murmured.

"Depends on how you define terrible," Seto whispered back before giving the Priest a tender kiss. "I survived this long, didn't I?"

"Just barely," Seth answered with a faint grin, kissing Seto's cheeks as he noticed the other's eyelids beginning to grow heavy. He quickly washed his lover's body and hair, doing everything as gently as possible while, at the same time, not letting him fall asleep in the tub. Secretly, Seth adored these kinds of scenarios with Seto. He loved seeing the CEO vulnerable, because even with Seth, he put up his defenses all the rest of the time unless he was exhausted, sick, or otherwise unwell. And Seth was the only one besides Mokuba who ever got to see this soft, yielding side of Kaiba, the part of him that was dependent and willing to be led. The part of him that appreciated being taken care of.

After their bath, Seth dressed himself and Seto in the bare minimum and tucked them both into bed together, Seto almost nearly asleep. Seth kissed the pale one's forehead and whispered his love to him before they both fell asleep.


	3. Hubris

"Come on, Seto, the sun is lovely. You'll like it." Seth was trying to coax the CEO out onto the beach of their private Caribbean island, but Seto looked sour about the idea as he stood in the shade of their cabin's porch awning. Seth was wearing naught but his shenti, still preferring his Egyptian attire to modern clothing, while Seto wore a linen shirt and board shorts, both blue, of course.

"I'll get burned," he said stubbornly.

"Oh, you don't know that," Seth said dismissively with a wave of his hand, tucking the two towels he was carrying under his arm and putting on his sunglasses as the cloud cover shifted and the sun beat down on him once more.

"I do _indeed_ know that," Seto insisted. "I _always_ get sunburned at the beach." _And in the desert,_ he added to himself.

"Then why did you buy a private island in the Caribbean?"

"It was going to be a present for Mokuba's eighteenth birthday," Seto admitted grudgingly. "I was going to get a _Mediterranean_ island for myself, I just hadn't gotten around to it yet."

"That sounds like a _lovely_ idea, but until then, we're here on a _Caribbean_ island," Seth said good-humoredly. "So we should enjoy the time we have here relaxing on the beach. We don't have a beach back home, you know, just that cliff by the sea."

"Yes, I'm quite well aware of that," Seto growled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I've been living there much longer than you."

"If you're afraid of getting sunburnt, then you can bring the umbrella and the sunscreen, now come _on_."

When Seto hesitated, looking unsure of himself, Seth marched back up to him, grabbed the aforementioned items and Seto's hand, then started dragging him down the path towards the beach. The shack they shared was tucked into a copse of tropical foliage, but just barely. It was in full view of the ocean, as you'd expect on a private island. Seto stumbled after Seth, who was irritatingly eager about it all. He dropped the towels and sunscreen on the sand and opened the large umbrella before driving it deep into the sand.

"There we go! Shade for you and sun for me," he declared with satisfaction, Seto picking up a towel and shaking the sand out of it. He spread it out flat in the shade of the umbrella and sat on it reluctantly as Seth lay out his own towel in the sand nearest the shade. "You really should be trying to enjoy yourself," Seth scolded, picking up the sunscreen and crawling over to his partner. "We're here for _you_ , after all. Doctor's orders, and whatnot." Seto grunted vaguely, and at Seth's insistent tugging, took off his shirt. Seth squirted the sunscreen into his palm, rubbed it between his hands, then began to spread it over Seto's back, massaging it into his skin indulgently.

"Hmmm..." The brunette hummed appreciatively, despite himself. "Was this just an excuse to touch me?" Seto muttered, his eyelids drooping as the heat of the day made him drowsy.

"Yes." Seth sounded smug about it too, and pressed a kiss to the back of Seto's neck. "You're awful picky about foreplay, you know." When Seto started to growl, Seth quickly added, "Not that there's a problem with that. It makes you interesting, and something of a challenge. I always love a challenge." Seto seemed hesitantly content with that explanation, and let himself relax under Seth's hands.

"I should call Mokuba this evening to check on him," Seto murmured as Seth made him lie down on the towel, Seth still sitting behind him. He added more sunscreen to his hands and started massaging it up and down Seto's arm.

"I'm sure he's fine. Yugi and the staff are taking good care of him. Was it really necessary to tell Yugi that you'd withhold his pay if your brother was kidnapped while we were gone?"

"Yes." Seto smirked a little, pleased with that particular memory. "I find that it's quite motivating to my employees when they know they won't be compensated if they fail."

"Yugi's not an employee, though," Seth pointed out, moving to Seto's other arm with more sunscreen.

"As such, he should thank his lucky stars that I'm paying him at all."

"He's an independent contractor, not an employee."

"You're proud of yourself for catching up on professional jargon, aren't you?"

"Quite." Seth leaned down and kissed Seto upside-down. Seto's hand cupped the back of Seth's head as they kissed, curling his fingers into his rich, red hair. "Would you like to go for a swim?"

Seto frowned at that, though not as sourly as he'd been frowning when standing on the porch earlier. "You're not done with the sunscreen," he said pointedly.

"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me." Seth resumed coating his lover with sunblock, running his hands down Seto's chest and abdomen, and rubbing it into his sides at Seto's insistence. "One would think that you were allergic to the sun, the way you carry on about it."

"Excuse me for not being enamored with the great outdoors." Seto sat up again, allowing Seth to add sunscreen to his shoulders and neck. He reached for the bottle, but Seth pulled it away, holding it out of reach with a twinkle in his eye. "Seth, give it to me. I need to do my face."

" _I_ can do it." Seth squirted a small puddle of it into his hand. "Come on, turn around to face me."

Reluctantly, Seto turned around, now kneeling in front of him. He normally didn't like other people touching his face. Seth was the only exception, and even then, Seto didn't like being touched by surprise. With careful fingers and eyes fixed on the paler one's face, Seth gently rubbed the sunscreen into his cheeks, his forehead, his nose, his chin. Seth bumped his nose against Seto's affectionately once he was done.

"Will you swim with me _now_?"

"No."

"Why on earth not, Seto?"

"Sharks."

Seth chuckled, making Seto glare at him.

"There _are_ sharks in these waters, and plenty of them. Tiger sharks. And stingrays that could impale your ankle and drag you down into the water. If they don't drown you first, the venom will kill you. Then there are the lionfish, and the Portuguese man-o-war, and the—"

"You did research before this trip, didn't you?" Seth shook his head and tutted disapprovingly. " _Live_ , Seto. Life has a lot to offer you if you're willing to take it."

" _You_ swim. I'm perfectly fine right here."

"You made me slather all that sunscreen on you so that you can sit in the _shade_?"

"Yes. Just in case."

"Fine. Suit yourself." Seth pecked Seto's lips before standing and shedding his shenti.

"Good lord Seth, do you plan on swimming like that?"

"And tanning like that, too." Seth smirked at him as his glorious nude form was bathed in sunshine.

"You're practically glowing." Seto's compliment was pleasant in content only, his tone quite begrudging. Out of bitterness, he added, "There are fish that eat that, you know."

"Eat what?" Seth blinked at him in confusion.

" _That_." Seto pointed to the particular organ to which he was referring, making Seth break out into hearty laughter.

"You're afraid of... having your..." Seth tried to articulate the words between heavy laughter, but found it impossible. Seto was becoming increasingly indignant the more Seth laughed at him.

"Shut up!" He threw the sunblock at Seth, but it bounced off his shoulder harmlessly and landed in the sand with a thud. "When you have your penis bitten off by a fish, you'll wish you'd listened to me! And _I'll_ say that I told you so!"

"Oh, goodness me, aha ha. Oh dear." Seth wiped a tear from his eye as he began to recover from his fit of humor. "My dear child, you are truly _full_ of surprises."

"If you're just going to make fun of me, then I'm going back to the house." Seto stood angrily and turned, stomping back towards the shack.

"Wait, wait!" Seth ran back after Seto and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a halt. "I didn't mean to make fun of you! It's just that you said something very funny!"

"That's the very _definition_ of making fun of someone!" Seto tried to pull out of Seth's hold, but Seth was just as stubborn as his lover. He wrapped one arm around Seto's shoulders and the other around his waist, pinning their greasy bodies together. Seto tried to push away, but Seth was too strong for him, and after several moments, he gave up and let Seth hold their bodies flush together, pressed close enough for Seto to feel Seth's heartbeat. As they embraced stiffly, Seto was reminded of the fact that he would never forgive Seth for being five inches taller than him.

Seth kissed Seto's forehead and whispered into his hair, "You need to stop being so sensitive. You know that I wouldn't dream of mocking you."

"That's _exactly_ what you were just doing." Seto scrunched up his nose. "Your tanning oil smells awful."

"No it doesn't, you're just being moody. It smells like sandalwood, and you know it." Seth moved his hand from Seto's waist to stroke his hair reassuringly. "I love you, you know."

"Yes, you're quite fond of saying that." Seto took advantage of Seth's loosened grip to push away from him and return to the house. Seth sighed as he watched him go, annoyed that his attempt at reconciliation had been frustrated by Seto's pride.

* * *

 **Author Notes** : I've had a spike of muse for Stoicshipping, so I've decided to go through the seven deadly sins with these two. Stay tuned for Lust, Gluttony, Avarice, and Envy.


	4. Lust

_Continued from previous chapter_...

Seth contemplated his options for a few moments, then followed Seto into their quaint shack. He found him getting a bottle of water from the fridge in the kitchen of the one-room domicile. Its single room was quite large and contained a kitchen, a king-sized bed, a large teak wardrobe, and a wicker couch with a matching love seat and coffee-table. The porch wrapped around the entire building, the hot tub hidden away on the back porch. The house was outfitted with minimal electrical outlets, the entire house solar-powered. No TV, no computer, no internet. There was a sealed shed of emergency supplies in case of a hurricane, a much larger house on the other side of the island, and a boat launch about a thousand feet from each building. This shack was meant as a romantic hideaway while the other was built for the purpose of hosting a dozen friends or more. Seto figured Mokuba would be a quite popular young man who would make use of such a house; he was always better with people than Seto was.

Seto didn't speak to Seth, didn't even look at him when he entered.

"Are you really going to sit in here and pout all day just because I teased you?"

"Yes." Seto turned towards the back door, intent on leaving Seth behind, but Seth was quick to grab his shoulder and turn him around.

"You know that I didn't mean any harm by it. It was just amusing because it was something I'd never even considered before, and that just made it more hilarious."

"You do realize that you're not actually making things better, don't you?" Seto snapped angrily, his eyes narrowed aggressively. He tried to tear himself out of Seth's hold, but Seth grabbed his other arm as well.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I wrestled a crocodile in the Nile River?"

"What does _that_ have to do with anything?" Seto asked in exasperation, still trying to free himself.

"Just _listen_ ," Seth hissed, which was enough to make Seto go still and glare past Seth's shoulder. "I was swimming in the Nile one afternoon, and the eight-foot beast took a snap at my legs." Seth released Seto only to grab hold of his waist and toss him over his shoulder, making Seto shout in surprise and kick his legs indignantly.

"Put me down right now!"

"I dodged its jaws," Seth continued, striding confidently towards their bed. "And was out of the water quicker than lightning. It glared at me from the surface of the water and made another go at me." He dropped a wriggling Kaiba onto the bedspread and pinned him with one hand on his chest. "It opened its jaws and I hurled myself at it before it could try again. I held its jaws shut with my bare hands"—Seth kissed Seto at this point, and he could feel the tension in the brunette's body seeping out of him—"And when he tried to roll onto his back to crush me, I wrapped my arms and his neck and twisted good and hard." His face was hovering over Seto's, and he could tell by the look in his eyes that he'd succeeded in getting him hooked on the story.

"What happened next?" Seto finally asked, too curious not to.

"I snapped its neck, thus killing it. We stripped its bones, preserved its hide, and I kept the skull as a trophy." He pressed his forehead to Seto's, his eyes softening. "And if that's what I did to save my own life, imagine how much _more_ I'd do to save yours." He studied Seto's face closely. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes," the corporation executive admitted with a small sigh.

"You don't have anything to fear when I'm with you." Seth's lips pressed to the underside of Seto's jaw. "If a shark attacked you, I'd tear it to pieces with my hands," he whispered against his throat. "If a jellyfish stung you, I'd puree it in the blender while it was still alive." He swiped his tongue across Kaiba's shoulder. "If a stingray got within a hundred feet of you, I'd kill it with a speargun." He lightly nibbled at the teen's collarbone. "I'd never let any harm come to you. I wouldn't ask you to come swim with me unless I knew it was safe."

Seth's erection was poking firmly into Kaiba's thigh, so Seto shifted his hips a bit until it was pressing into the bed-spread instead. "I suppose you want me to come swim with you now, don't you?"

"That's the idea," Seth chuckled, wiggling lower down the other's body to take one red nipple between his lips, making Seto gasp sharply. "I _did_ put all of that sunscreen on you, after all."

"Are you sure you want us to go to sea to have sex, because this seems like a perfectly comfortable place to do so."

"Yes, I'm sure, but only if you agree to take these off." Seth plucked at the elastic waistband of Seto's trunks indicatively.

"Fine." Kaiba gave in, and Seth sat up, allowing his lover to stand and remove his trunks as requested. He kicked them off his foot, and a moment later, felt Seth wrap his arms around him from behind, his erection brushing along his spine. "Happy now?" he asked somewhat breathlessly, wishing that he could hide his reaction to Seth's attentions, but it was impossible now that he was naked.

"Quite happy indeed," Seth purred. "Especially if _you're_ happy." He released Seto and took him by the hand to lead him out back to the sea. He walked them up to the edge of the aquamarine water, walking them right into the shallows. Seto's grip on his hand tightened, and Seth glanced over at him with a reassuring smile. Seto focused on watching his step, not wanting to find his toes pinched by crabs or stubbed on stones. When the water was lapping well above their waists, Seth released his hand and dove under the surface of the warm, tropical water. Seto stood still with his arms wrapped around himself as he watched Seth stroking through the water with such agile dexterity that he looked like he was in his element. When he surfaced again, his body glistened with water droplets. He shook his head once to let the water fly out of it.

"Come on, the water's lovely!" he called out from several meters away, beckoning to Seto with one hand.

"It looks pretty deep over there." Seto didn't move an inch as he watched Seth from afar. Seth, puzzled, stroked through the water back to his lighter half and stood on the pale sand again, the waves buffeting them both as they swayed in the water.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with concern.

"I'm fine." He normally snapped such a retort, but he was more relaxed now than he had been earlier, so the anger he'd been harboring was spent.

"You don't look fine. You look..." As Seth tried to pick out the most fitting word, Seto wrapped his arms more tightly around himself, looking down into the water suspiciously. "You look uneasy."

"I'm fine," he repeated without looking up at Seth, who raised an eyebrow at him, clearly unconvinced.

"But...?"

"I just... never swam in the ocean, before. That's all."

"You've never gone swimming _at all_ before, have you?"

"If you start making fun of me, I'll—"

"Wouldn't dream of it." Seth put his arms around Seto and lifted him up, wrapping his long legs around his waist. "Does it make you feel better if I carry you?"

Seto, with his arms now looped around Seth's shoulders, nodded a little, feeling profoundly embarrassed. Seth kissed one blushing cheek, then the other, then fluttered his lips against Seto's tenderly. More at ease now, Seto closed his eyes and relaxed in Seth's hold. The High Priest's hands moved down to palm Seto's ass, giving it a light squeeze as he aligned their hips better and started to rock against him. Kaiba moaned, responding quite eagerly. He released Seth with one arm so that he could reach down between them and try to hold their members together. It was hard to do so with one hand, though.

"I'll hold you," Seth panted, as if he'd read Seto's mind. "You can let go; I'll hold you." Seto looked at him, scrutinizing his expression for any trace of mischief. If there was even a small hint that he felt inclined to toss him out into the water, Seto would flee him immediately and head for the shore. He didn't see any hint of betrayal, though, so he let go, trusting himself to Seth's hold as they thrust against each other in the ocean in broad daylight.


	5. Envy

"I'm glad you're having fun," Seto said into his phone as he watched Seth shimmy up a palm tree just outside their shack. He'd already gotten higher than Seto thought he would. "Yeah, things are going well here. Oh, yes, the resort is great. Maybe I'll take you to Hawaii some day for Christmas." He watched as Seth started to work at freeing something from the palm leaves at the top. "Okay, okay, maybe not Christmas, then. Some other time. You're being good for everyone?" A slight pause. "No, no, I don't need to talk to Yugi!" Seto said quickly. "He's not bringing his friends to the mansion, is he?" He groaned in frustration and covered his eyes with his hands. "Tell him that he's not allowed to bring girls over anymore. In fact, tell him he's not allowed to bring any friends over, period. Because I said so! My house, my rules, my—Holy shit!" Seto broke off with a curse as a large heavy coconut landed on the ground not two feet from him, startling him out of his skin.

"Sorry!" Seth called out with a grin, not looking apologetic at all.

"Shut up, Mokuba," Seto growled into his phone as his little brother laughed. What Seto didn't know was that his brother had their call on speakerphone. "It's not funny at all, Seth just—harpooned a baby dolphin, so, gotta go."

"I love you, Seto!" Mokuba called into the phone, wanting to say the words before Seto hung up.

"Love you too, kiddo." The answer was automatic, but nonetheless sincere. The moment after he hung up his phone, Seth landed on the ground with a heavy thud, just like his coconut. It knocked the air out of his lungs, and he spent several moments lying on his back as he caught his breath again. "You idiot! Why would you do that while I was on the phone?"

"I didn't realize you were scared of coconuts," Seth teased, making Seto glare at him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have startled you while you were on the phone."

"You _shouldn't_ have," Seto affirmed, then stomped back inside to plug his phone back into the charger cord. Seth followed him with a frown, coconut in hand.

"I think we should stay here for another week."

Seto turned on him in surprise, also looking a bit angry, which surprised Seth. "Why should I agree to that?"

"Because you're not relaxed, and that's why you're here: to relax and sleep and recover. It's a matter of health, and I'm worried about you."

"Gee, I wonder why I'm not relaxed," Seto snapped hack, making Seth frown further. "Was that coconut really worth it?" he asked dubiously, changing the subject.

"It'll taste so much sweeter because I picked it myself," Seth said proudly, holding the coconut up in one hand. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, did you really have to scratch up the bottoms of your feet to get a coconut," Seto elaborated with annoyance as he plucked some paper towels from the roll on the kitchen counter and walked closer to Seth. "You're bleeding on the floor, you know." He dropped to his knees and started wiping up the red smudges on the hardwood floor. "Sit down before you bleed anywhere else."

"Such compassion," Seth sighed in mock awe. "You're a regular Mother Theresa, aren't you?"

"Congratulations on your cultural reference," Kaiba grumbled.

Seth plopped onto a stool by the kitchen island nonetheless and watched Seto clean his blood off the floor. After wiping up the first couple spots, he stood and went to the cabinet below the sink, returning to the floor with a general cleaning spray.

"You've done this before, haven't you?" he asked quietly. There was something in the efficient way that Seto cleaned which made him look experienced at it.

"Shut up."

"Gozaburo?"

"Orphanage."

They fell silent. No more needed to be said on the subject. Seto cleaned the floor in silence, and when he was done, he knelt on the floor before Seth and cleaned the bottoms of his feet with water and antiseptic, wrapping them in bandages to keep them from bleeding any more.

"Tell me you love me."

Seto looked up at Seth sharply, his expression wary. "Why?"

"Because you rarely ever say it to me."

"Why do you ask me this all of a sudden? What's gotten into you?"

"You tell Mokuba you love him quite often."

"He's my brother, and he's a child. He needs it." Seto stood, looking irritated. "You're astute enough that I don't need to coddle you constantly."

"You've only said it three times that I can even recall."

"You're counting? How petty," Kaiba scoffed, standing and walking towards the back porch once more. "How about these numbers: one Seth and one coconut makes for a lonely evening. Farewell."

"Where do you plan on going?" Seth called out as he stood, rushing onto the porch to grab Seto by the arm. "Why won't you say it?"

"Because the words are tired and meaningless!"

Seth staggered from the verbal blow. "So you think it's meaningless when I say that I love you?"

"That's not what I meant," Seto replied stiffly.

"Then what _did_ you mean?"

"Words don't mean much of anything. They have no tangible impact."

"I see—"

"I'm not done!" It was Seto's turn to grab Seth and keep him from turning away. "Actions speak much louder than words. Like that." He pointed to Seth's feet. "What I do is far more important than what I say, and it should be abundantly clear to you by now that I can't help but love you."


	6. Gluttony

"Give that back!" Seth protested as Seto held his half of the coconut shell out of reach. Normally, he wouldn't be capable of doing that, since Seth was taller and his arms were longer, but they were both completely drunk, and Seth had lost his sense of balance.

"No! It's mine!" Seto pushed him away and drank what remained inside the coconut: the last sips of the cocktail that he'd let Seth make with the milk of the coconut he'd picked. Seth, however, had never made a cocktail before, so the results had been quite... interesting, and quite heavy on the alcohol.

Seto slurped the last of the mixture from the coconut shell and dropped the brown bowl onto the porch. His tongue flicked out to catch a stray drop that trickled down the side of his mouth. Seth, having recovered himself, lunged towards Seto again, seizing his face with both hands as he licked the drink from Seto's skin, then kissed him invasively. Seto moaned and grabbed Seth's hips, pulling their bodies flush together without an inch of air to separate them.

Seth cleaned Seto's mouth with his tongue, lapping up every trace of coconut and rum he could find as Seto started to grind against him. Seth began to grab at Seto's clothes, tugging in vain efforts to remove them. Seto broke the kiss and yanked off his sky blue v-neck t-shirt, and as soon as he dropped it on the floor, Seth had his arms around him, hoisting his lover into his arms and making Seto let out a cry of indignation.

"Seth, what are you doing?" Seto didn't sound nearly as angry as he would have if he were sober. Instead, he just sounded amused.

"I'm stealing you away, my love!" Seth exclaimed, carrying him into the shack and tossing him onto the bed. "I love to hear you laugh, my darling. You should laugh more often." Seto opened his mouth to protest, but as Seth started to tickle the bottoms of his feet, he could only laugh.

"Seth! Seth, stop! Stop!" Seto pleaded for mercy as he gasped for air, twisting on the bed as he tried to kick his feet free from Seth's grasp. The other finally released them and tugged off Seto's swimming trunks. The giggling brunette stared up at Seth with soft eyes as the taller male caressed Seto's thighs.

"You look beautiful in the moonlight."

"I'm sure you would too if you took your clothes off," Seto teased as he smirked. Seth grinned and obliged, untying his shenti and dropping it to the floor. "That's much better."

"I think," Seth said smoothly, lifting apart his partner's legs as he knelt on the bed and walked up closer to him. "You're finally learning how to relax."

"Thanks to you." He reached out to stroke Seth's member. The High Priest moved his hand away, though, and brought his palm to Seth's lips.

"I should make that drink again tomorrow night." Seto felt Seth's lips curve against his skin in a smile. "There were more coconuts in that palm tree, after all."

"I would like that very much." Seto laced his fingers through Seth's chestnut hair with his other hand and brought the Egyptian's face closer to his, making him drop Seto's hand so that he could brace himself against the mattress. "Turns out the coconut was worthwhile."

"Indeed it was."

Seth kissed him then, seeking out the taste of the cocktail once more as he lowered himself more fully onto the younger's body. Seto groaned and arched his body into Seth's as they started to rock against each other, blood pulsing hotly as their hearts beat in rapid rhythm. Seto tried to go faster, but Seth pulled back, making his lighter half whine a little with need.

"I want _more_ , Hikari," he whispered with desperate affection. "Please?"

"Yes," Seto hissed, his voice high and breathy. "Anything, just don't stop."

* * *

The next morning, as the two men shielded their eyes from the bright sunlight, Seth had a revelation.

"You're not legally old enough to drink alcohol, are you?"

Seto chuckled and with a smirk replied. "My island, my laws."

Seth laughed too, and threw an arm around Seto's waist, pulling him close so that his back pressed firmly against the priest's chest. "How are you feeling?" he murmured, gently coming his fingers through short, nutmeg hair.

"A little sore. Not too bad."

Seth's hand pressed flat against Seto's stomach and started kneading it through their bedsheets. The executive sighed and closed his eyes, nuzzling his head into Seth's stroking hand.

"You can be so tender when you let yourself be," the tanned male observed with a smile.

"I love you, Seth." Sapphire eyes opened and gazed upward into similar ones. "I love you with so much of my heart there is none left to protest."

"That would be a first," Seth teased, then bumped his nose into Seto's. "I love you too, my little coconut."

"Don't call me coconut."

"Why not? It's fitting: a hard outward exterior that, once cracked, exposes a soft, sweet, syrupy interior. Besides, it's cute."

"I am _not_ a coconut."


	7. Greed

"Seto!" Mokuba shoved open the door to his older brother's home office as he shouted, making his brother take off his noise-cancelling headphones in order to hear his brother better.

"What's wrong?"

"Can't you make him stop?" Mokuba sounded desperate as he pleaded with his brother. "He's been singing that song for _three whole_ _days_ now! Why? Why does he keep repeating it?"

"Seth has recently been awakened to the 'wonders of the coconut,'" Kaiba answered with a deadpan voice that betrayed how annoyed he was about it. "As such, he has been enraptured by its many virtues to such a degree that he feels the need to serenade it nonstop."

"That explains why he ordered so many of them," Mokuba grumbled, crossing his arms with a resentful look. This was news to Kaiba.

"He did what?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow at his little brother.

"He ordered a whole _crate_ of coconuts!"

"How did he manage to do that?"

"He probably told the kitchen staff to do it. Either that, or he took your credit card out of your wallet."

Kaiba sighed and stood up, intent on getting to the bottom of this. "Do you know where he is now?"

"Downstairs with his coconuts." Mokuba started to lead his brother to Seth's location, muttering to himself, "If I have to hear him sing 'Put The Lime in The Coconut' one more time, I'm going to scream."

They found Seth in the hallway on their way to the kitchen, and it was more surprising than not that he had no coconuts on his person at the moment. Ever since they'd gotten back from their vacation, he'd been quite obsessed.

"Seth, have you been ordering things online?" Kaiba asked crossly. "Without my permission?"

"I was going to surprise you." Seth looked disappointed now. "Mokuba, did you tell him?"

"I didn't know it was a secret," the child answered, not looking particularly remorseful.

"How many coconuts did you order?"

"Just a couple hundred."

"How on _earth_ did you think we were going to eat all of those before they went bad?" Kaiba asked in total exasperation.

"We'd throw a party!" Seth exclaimed. "And do you know how we'd serve the coconuts?" His lips curled into a sly smile.

"Oh no..." Mokuba's eyes widened in horror.

"How would we—"

"No!" Mokuba slapped his hands over his ears.

"We'd put the lime in the coconut and drink 'em both up," Seth started to sing, catching hold of Seto's hand and trying to make him dance with him. "We'd put the lime in the coconut and drink 'em both up—"

"You've been drinking, haven't you?" Seto commented with a chuckle as he kept his feet firm to the ground, refusing to dance with him—not while his brother was standing right there and anybody could walk in and see them. Mokuba, though, had begun to growl and stomp away from them both. He entered his own bedroom, slammed the door shut, and started playing loud pop music as he screamed into a pillow.

"Maybe." Seth pulled Seto against him and tried to kiss him, but Kaiba was still wary of being seen. Seth chuckled, in too good a mood to be annoyed by his lover's reluctance. "I love how shy you are, Seto," Seth whispered into his ear. "I don't like the idea of anyone else seeing you vulnerable."

"You've been drinking rum," Kaiba observed.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Only if you plan on being stingy," Seto said with a smirk.

"Great." Seth grinned rogueishly. "I'll get a coconut."

An hour later, Seto and Seth were sharing a coconut cocktail in their bathtub, drinking from half-shells as they had on the island.

"Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum. A pirate's life for me," Seth sang, slinging an arm around Seto's shoulders. He smacked a noisy kiss on his hikari's cheek.

"Only a matter of time before you took it into your head to be a pirate," Seto laughed, nudging his head against Seth's with a smile. "I suppose the cowboy phase will be after the pirate phase…"

"Didn't you have work to do?" Seth asked suddenly, as if just remembering that his lover ran a multibillion dollar global corporation.

"It's just work." Seto shrugged and wriggled closer to the Egyptian, finding comfort in the crook of his arm and the warmth of his skin. "It can wait."


End file.
